1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to means for camouflaging and hiding persons near or in water, commonly referred to as a “blind” or a “duck blind.” More specifically, the present invention also relates to camouflaging and staging persons near or in water for purposes that may include: riparian bird hunting; ecological tracking or studying purposes; bird watching; and/or nature photography.
2. Description of Related Art
The current art in blinds comprises ground tank blinds and fixed cage stand-up blinds. The major problem with both styles is that they cannot be moved once positioned. Large backhoes have to either dig holes for the tank blinds or create an island of earth to safely position a fixed cage stand up duck blind. Once set, both duck blinds are impossible to move. Rising water levels often flood both tank and stand up blinds rendering them useless. Where ducks may require landing into the wind, fixed duck blinds positioned on the incorrect side of the water are completely useless in an opposite wind situation. It is extremely difficult for people to enter and exit a tank blind due to the fact that it is buried 4-5′ into the ground and with the top being level with the surface ground. It is very difficult for people to walk through very muddy water to get out to the stand-up duck blind. Many elderly and disabled duck hunters give up the sport due to the difficulty incurred with both above styles of duck blinds.
The current art also includes means for keeping a hunter positioned over water with personal flotation devices where the user lies in water on top of buoyant surface and covers themselves in local foliage. Additionally, there exists in the art structures for camouflaging hunters standing on a boat.
There does not exist in the current art, however, the present invention which is a very stable floating caged platform that supports several hunters and dogs and permits camouflaging means to be affixed and which addresses the above disadvantages to the current art.